The Space Foundation’s Space Certification program has traveled to the North Pole with the NORAD Santa tracker. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) uses four high-tech systems to track Santa on Christmas Eve: radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and jet fighter aircraft. The NORAD Santa Tracker Program is now recognized as a Certified Space Imagination Product.
“These systems utilize a variety of technology developed for the space program,” said Kevin Cook, director of space technology awareness at the Space Foundation. “It’s great to see space technology helping to keep us safe and letting us help track Santa’s progress every year.”
“365 days a year, NORAD provides aerospace security for North America. On Christmas Eve, NORAD performs the additional mission of tracking Santa around the world!” stated Maj. Stacia Reddish, USAF, NORAD Tracks Santa Project Officer. “NORAD has the excellent technology to track Santa and we thoroughly enjoy presenting this information to children around the world each year.”
The Space Certification program was created by the Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, to raise awareness and understanding about space and the significant and practical benefits of technologies originally developed for the space program, which have been adapted into products and services that improve life on Earth. For more information about these and other space technologies that improve life here on Earth, visit the Space Certification Program online at www.SpaceConnection.org.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, have tracked Santa. It all began on Christmas Eve in 1955 after a Colorado Springs Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa listed the wrong telephone number.
Media around the world call NORAD for updates on Santa’s location and the Web site is visited by millions of people wanting to know Santa’s whereabouts. To track Santa, click on the “Track Santa With Norad” link on the Space Foundation’s home page: www.SpaceFoundation.org or visit www.noradsanta.org. The site also contains a variety of interactive features to amuse children of all ages, including games, information about Santa, Santa e-mail form, and Santa snack tracker.
About NORAD
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi-national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands. For more information, visit www.norad.mil.
About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation is a national nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity. The Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, trade association services, research and analysis for the global space industry and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom. The Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., has an office in Washington, D.C., and field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Space Foundation conducts the premier annual gathering of the global space community, the National Space Symposium. The 24th National Space Symposium will take place April 7-10, 2008, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Along with partnering organizations, the Space Foundation also conducts Strategic Space and Defense 2008, 6-8 October in Omaha, Neb. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.
